At Boehner's Request, He and Obama Negotiate Alone — WASHINGTON — At House Speaker John A. Boehner's request, Senate leaders and Representative Nancy Pelosi have been excluded from talks to avert a fiscal crisis, leaving it to Mr. Boehner and President Obama alone to find a deal, Congressional aides say.

Democrats watch in awe as McConnell filibusters himself — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced legislation to raise the debt ceiling on Thursday, apparently with the intent of showing that even Democrats would not support such a bill. — However, McConnell's plan backfired …

McConnell Filibusters His Own Bill To Lift Debt Ceiling — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wanted to prove on Thursday that Democrats don't have the votes to weaken Congress' authority on the debt limit. Instead they called his bluff, and he ended up filibustering his own bill.

The Republican crisis — Party of ‘eat your veggies’ — If you want to know why Republicans and conservatives are in a political crisis, you need only consider the fact that the Right's deeply held view now boils down to this: Taxes should not go up on the wealthy, and your health benefits should be cut.

Good riddance, Mr. DeMint — Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is leaving the Senate to take over the Heritage Foundation. He will replace Ed Feulner as the conservative think tank's president. He expressed no qualms about leaving the Senate before his term is up, nor did he reflect on his legislative achievements, of which none come to mind.

U.S. Small-Business Owners' Hiring Intentions Plunge — Net hiring over the past 12 months declined to -12, down from -7 in July — PRINCETON, NJ — U.S. small-business owners expect to add fewer net new jobs over the next 12 months than at any time since the depths of the 2008-2009 recession …

Chris Christie nixes state-run insurance exchange — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie rejected a state-run health insurance exchange Thursday, paving the way for the federal government to step in and run one. — Christie — who was in Washington on Thursday pushing for Hurricane Sandy aid …

Obama Gets Post-Election Bounce — A new Associated Press-GfK poll finds more Americans say the nation is heading in the right direction now than at any time since the start of President Obama's first term. — Obama's approval rating stands at 57%, the highest since May 2011 …

Major quake strikes off Japan, setting off small tsunami — Are you there? Share your photos and video with CNN iReport, but please stay safe. — Tokyo (CNN) — A powerful earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan on Friday evening, rattling buildings in Tokyo and setting off a small tsunami.

Bill Clinton: I don't know whether Hillary will run — CUPERTINO — Don't bother asking Bill Clinton if his wife is going to run for president in 2016. — “If I did know, I wouldn't tell you,” he said Wednesday evening, fielding the first of many questions from a packed audience …

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